Ladies! I need shoe/boot advice/help!

I have the ECCO "London" boot I bought a year ago online (Sierra Trading Company website), the boot has a 1 1/2 inch heel, VERY comfortable and easy to walk in. I dont know if they are still available.

I'm all for streamlining shoe choices, but I would suggest that you reconsider a "one pair" limit. Your feet will be TIRED walking around those places, especially on uneven surfaces, and in my opinion the best recovery (aside from a nice glass of wine and putting your feet up) are switching shoes each day. You don't need to be Imelda Marcos, but two pairs might save you from the trauma of blisters (been there), wet shoes not yet dry (been there), and the ability to wear a skirt to dinner. Personally, I love Keen brand shoes - they're solid soled, great arch support, and they have many styles that come in solid black (the mary-janes are kind of clunky but work with a skirt). Zappos has the widest selection. There's a section on the graffiti wall devoted to shoes, you might also want to check there.

On a couple of trips to Ireland I mostly wore my Columbia hiking shoes (not boots), but I also carried another pair of shoes for the same reasons listed above. You don't want to be stuck with wet or sweaty shoes after walking in them all day, and have to put them back on in the morning.

I got a pair of boots from sierratradingpost.com called simple Waldo.they are beije, but they have them in brown too.Very comfy and very simple looking.
I also got a pair of columbia shoes, with air holes on the sides. They are very soft and look nice in my opinion.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/i/10420,01,_Columbia-Footwear-Staubio-bbShoesandbandb-For-Women.html

Angela, I recently bought a pair of "Easy Spirit" black wedge boots at the Shoe Pavilion for about $70
which I wore every other day in New York a couple of weeks ago. They were light weight, very comfortable, and a bit fashionable, too, in a sleek kind of way!
And I second the suggestion that you take a second pair of shoes. Your feet need a change and your shoes need a chance to air out!
Have a great trip.

Wait a minute...Let me climb up on my pulpit..there.

Dansko's! Ok ok I know not everyone is into clogs, but they sell more than clogs even stylish boots Check out their web site they have many different styles. I have lived in Europe, walking everywhere and been pregnant, 5'11" never been a model, professional chef and I only wear Danskos. Because they are COMFY, COMFY, COMFY(Their stapled clog is designed to be standing still but their other shoes were designed with walking over cobblestones and uneven surfaces in mind.

I, too, always wear Danskos when I travel in winter. The professional clogs are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. My husband works in a hospital and notices that most all the staff wear them daily.My feet never feel tired after walking all day in Danskos, which I can't say about any other shoes.

www.associatedcontent.com/article/94913/the_wonder_of_sas_shoes_oldfashioned.html

Hi Angela!
Suggest you check out SAS shoes, above web site. They are COMFY COMFY COMFY from the first minute you wear them... bon voyage! P.

I know other have posted this same advice, but I also would recommend two pairs of shoes. I backpacked for a month some years ago and was very grateful I had two pairs of shoes. When you're walking all day long in one pair, your feet really need a change for the next day. And also, since you're going in the winter, it's not a bad idea in case one gets wet. Just a thought!

MERRELLS!!! Great arch support and comfortable walking.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful ideas! I spent the day trying on many shoes at many stores (and was reassured that my current boots would NOT work for walking in Europe as my feet are hurting from them just from today!). I loved the Dansko and all the ideas were wonderful! Thank you for all of your thoughts! And I think I am sold on bringing 2 pairs now. I'm trying to stick to one bag so I thought 1 pair of shoes would do, but ya'll have made very good points. Thanks again for you help and opinions! I sure appreciate it!

One last question...would my fuzzy lined Crocs be totally inappropriate as my second pair of shoes? I've read some posts saying people are wearing them in Europe but not in Italy. I don't want to look like a goofy Ameican any more that I already will!

I was in Florence and Venice at the end of Nov and everyone was wearing boots - mostly leather boots but there were plenty people wearing Uggs or Ugg-like boots.

For a one week vacation to a city I take one pair of shoes and at this time of year it is boots. I wear a flat boot (1 inch 1 1/2 inch) heel. I make sure they are broken in and comfortable (I live in NYC so I do plenty of walking anyway). I bring nice looking boots that look well with jeans and black slacks which is what I bring in case I go anywhere
nice.

First of all Europeans can have some of the most outlandish and wierd fashion pieces to be found. So I wouldn't worry too much about that. (err...Not that Crocs are wierd and outlandish). They like to sniff at our non-fashion as they toss the hot pink boa around their Dolce-Gabanna coat and head off to work.

The reason I would hesitate would be that they are low to the ground. If it rains, which it might, the cobblestones and roughly paved roads could easily slosh and dampen either the fuzz or your entire foot.

My son has the winter ones now. They keep his feet warm but they don't keep his feet dry say if he walks across a tiny puddle or through wet grass.

Do take two pairs of shoes so one pair can be airing out. Best thing I discovered for my tooties was a good pair of shoe inserts - operative word good as in get them some somewhere like REI or a good shoe store. Mine are by SuperFeet and as I recall were o/a $50. You can switch them from one pair to the other easily and a good insert will provide good ball and heel of foot cushioning as well as arch support. They are not gel inserts so you can wear them on the plane.

Guess what? Anything goes in Europe. Just do a long test walk outside at home before you leave to break them in. Make sure they truly are comfortable. Personally, I brought my Danskos and BeautiFeels w/me to Paris. Felt right at home

I am not sure about boots; however, I know that for me, I will be packing my Nike walking shoes. For my other shoes which I will wear to the airport will be a pair of light sandals that can be easily slipped on and off and will go with dressier outfits if the need arises.

The reason being, is that I cannot bend to easily and the thought of going through the check points with those Nikies would make things awkward.

I just bought a pair of Aerosole boots. They are very comfortable. I would take them to Europe for a dressier look. (Jeans, slacks). I perfer to wear my Keen's maryjanes or a pair of hiking shoes for every day walking and sightseeing. I always take three pairs of shoes and I never regret it. It is better for your feet to change shoes then to wear the same pair every day.

Something waterproof or water resistant is pretty important. Italy can be very rainy and the streets have lots of puddles if you are walking.

Be sure to spray anything you take with you ahead of time with Scotch Guard to make them water resistant.

THEN the other thing nobody seems to have talked about is SOCKS.

Your shoes could be great - but if your socks are not, you lose a lot of benefit. There are double-layer socks sold at places like REI by a company called Wright - WrightSocks for walking are my recommendation.

Wool is OK but i prefer synthetic -- remember, something that will dry overnight if they get wet or need to be washed is pretty imperative.

The double layer sock, or a sock with a light sock liner, will help you to avoid blisters, which can afflict you even with a pair of shoes that seems broken in. Have an awesome trip!!

I have a pair of Josef Seibel ankle boots that I wore in Italy last year. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I usually have a problem with blisters, but not with these boots. I have also found that Body Glide, used by runners to prevent chafing, helps prevent blisters as well. I use it on my feet before half marathons and have used it on trips to prevent blisters. Another thing that helps me prevent blisters are silk sock liners. I got mine from Cabela's and they not only help prevent blisters, but they add quite a bit of warmth if it's cold.

Thanks for the heads up on socks and sock liners!! I hadn't really thought about that but picked some up at REI. I'm also wearing either my new Merrils or my new Airats daily (I debated between the Danskos and Ariats but the Ariats seemed to fit my foot better on the top). We leave in 17 days :) Thanks for all of the help!